Men Stopped At Border For Kinder Eggs In Illegal Candy

Two men were held at the Canadian border as they were headed to Seattle, Washington, after border agents found illegal candy in their car, but they were giving a warning because Kinder eggs are dangerous for kids.

Joe Cummings says he’s made the border crossing many times and nothing at first seemed out of the ordinary.

“We’re going through the border, typical Sunday, and the agent decided to ask us some questions,” Cummings tells 97.3 KIRO FM’s Dori Monson Show. “Then he took the keys to my car and popped the trunk and found six of these Kinder Eggs in the trunk.”

Kinder Eggs are a hollow chocolate egg with a toy inside. One of Cummings’ travel companions had picked up the candy as a gift to bring back.

Cummings says they learned the eggs are illegal in the U.S. because they can pose a choking hazard for children.

Border agents told them the penalty for bringing the eggs across the border is a fine of $2,500 per egg. That would have been a fine of $15,000 for the six eggs found in Cummings’ vehicle.

In the end, the guys were just let off with a warning.

“They didn’t impose the fine,” says Cummings, who seems relieved, but still remains surprised by all the hassle they incurred over six candy eggs.

“I was a little dumbfounded and pretty offended, just being an American citizen trying to get back into America.”

In a funny twist of events though, the men were actually able to keep their troublesome treats.

“The ironic thing is actually, when we left and got back into America, we popped the trunk and the Kinder Eggs were still in the car.”